


The Phalluses of Men

by Spinifex



Series: Short stories from the Void [2]
Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Character Study, Dubious Ethics, Gen, Introspection, Podfic Available, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, The Female Experience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:40:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24940228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinifex/pseuds/Spinifex
Summary: A tale of dubious ethics. Or, the impact of havingallyour thoughts and memories prescribed by old men.
Series: Short stories from the Void [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796425
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	The Phalluses of Men

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also available in PODFIC form. Click on the download icon in the top corner of the new page that comes up if the file fails to open automatically. The download link is above the subtitle of this story (see below). The tracks used in the recording are: "Elementary wave 8" by Erokia, and "Thoughts" by Setuniman. Access them on freesound.org. 
> 
> Discussions with RegionalPancake led to all this...

##  The Phalluses of Men

([CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PODFIC](https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Grh7mMEc1LMyS-6NfzrwlR-LauI6wCn/view?usp=sharing))

**Aphrodite**

There were two old men who made golems. They had hearts of mud and feet of clay. The younger man was called Bruce, and the elder one was called Altan. The elder one wrote his name on a scroll and inserted the script into the mouth of his creation. Then the younger wrote the tale of its life and placed the words in its head. 

“Another beauty mark here would make her look beautiful,” said Bruce. 

“Quite right,” replied Altan. He painted the dot on her cheek. 

Then Altan asked, “how are you progressing with the code for her feelings?”

“It’s alright, but how  _ far _ are we going?,” Bruce said.

Altan stepped backward and looked down at the golem. A young woman’s body with a mouth blushing-pink. 

“Are you familiar with Aphrodite?” mused Altan, “She stepped from a clam as a goddess borne of the sea. These synthetic beings that  _ we  _ are creating; little Dahj, and darling Soji...they will be women. They should know the memories that women have,” he said.

Altan placed his large hand on the golem’s cool shoulder. He congratulated himself over the dots on her cheek. The woman he’d made was pleasing.  _ He felt like a god. _

“Give her memories of everything, Bruce,” Altan said grandly, “Her first kiss, her first love. Don’t hold back...” he waved his stylus through the air, orchestrating, “Innocent, romantic... _ everything,” _ he emphasised. “Tell her what she does and doesn’t like, he said. 

Then he reached down and held the golem’s fragile hand. The crescent moons inside her fingernails were pearly-white on pink. 

“I want _perfection_ ,” Altan said.

** How Much is Me? **

A troubled woman stirs french fries into a mess of softening ice cream, and hunches against a feeling that she cannot place. 

“I don’t even know how much of what I am...is because of  _ them,” _ she says quietly, and chews on food that someone else tells her that she liked. 

The one called Agnes sighs at her colleagues’ creation, and tips more ice cream onto the mess on her plate.

“I know Soji,” says Agnes. 

“You only  _ think _ you do,” Soji replies, “But  _ I _ am the one with old men’s  _ fantasies _ inside my head.”

**[END]**


End file.
